Coda
by RecountOurVices
Summary: Marauders Era!AU. When young Sirius Black met (him) at the Hogwarts Express, he never thought his life would turn out like this. It's all too confusing, but maybe that's how it's gotta go. [Grey!Sirius, Slytherin!Sirius.]


Platform Nine and Three-Quarters was bustling with undiluted excitement as it happened every first day of September. Kids ran around— some with their familiars in their arms, some others dragging their parents closer to the Hogwarts Express. The older, more experienced ones walked slowly, smirks on their lips as if to say they already knew everything there was to know about... well, pretty much everything.

Of course, while it was nothing but a poor façade all adult wizards could see through, it was also how social scales and student bureaucracy worked in a way, as someone _always_ had the to the new one.

Fresh meat, as some would call them. The more 'refined ones' would opt for _'new blood'_.

It was the endless cycle of trying to prove oneself's worth while establishing their superiority to the lesser beings.

To be quite honest, Sirius thought it was all extremely stupid. Who even had the time to worry and be aggravated with such things? He didn't care about social status or wealth — or, more importantly, blood purity. It was a very... avant-garde posture considering who his family was and what they represented in Wizarding Britain, to say the least. One his family didn't understand nor approved.

Ah, yes. Walburga and Orion Black were the complete opposite; both members of the most noble houses, where the purity of your blood determined absolutely everything. Such schooling had been passed on for centuries now, and Sirius knew that if he were to publicly go against that very belief system, he'd also be against everything he had ever known up until that point.

Even the Black scion couldn't help but held certain things in high regard, but... that was anything thing entirely.

His parents stepped into the platform with their robes billowing around them, making quite the scene as everyone in close proximity turned around to stare at them quite openly. An arrogant little smirk appeared in Walburga's crimson lips, managing to look at all the other families over her shoulder despite her not being as tall as Orion, who kept his gaze fixed on the train.

Such arrogance, such infuriating sense of entitlement and superiority...

Maddening. Completely infuriating. Sirius did want to prove he was the best at everything there was to be, but if not through hard work then he wasn't interested in the least. Using one's status for everything was cowardly and way too easy.

"Straighten your posture, Sirius. No son of mine will be a hunchback," his mother's soft but commanding voice reached his ears and he barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes before obeying, shoulders thrown back and face void of all emotion— just like Walburga liked. His brother Regulus looked wide-eyed at him before doing the same, two fingers wrapped around his father's larger, calloused ones. Orion's stoic expression didn't falter in the slightest, but their mother looked more placated and nodded to herself.

He'd rather be alone at the moment, definitely. Of course Walburga and Orion had determined they would to go with him to the platform to see him leave for his first year at Hogwarts— not doing so would cause quite the social scandal, and there was nothing they valued more than a perfect public image.

Things had been particularly nasty back at Grimmauld Place, because Sirius had said he would do everything in his (almost nonexistent) power not to get sorted into Slytherin after a particularly nasty argument that started with a letter sent by none other than Bellatrix, his cousin. Walburga's face had turned the ugliest shade of red and while his father hadn't even looked in his direction, the anger had been so raw he was rather grateful his mother had taken it upon herself to punish him, looking back at the bigger image.

His wrist throbbed lightly at the reminder.

The 'lesser' people avoided them like the plague sans the occasional family who would nod at them respectfully— another pureblood family no doubt, much to Regulus' confusion and his annoyance. Fantastic, just what he needed. He wouldn't make a single friend once he got to Hogwarts as his reputation was most likely to precede him. Maybe the ghosts would refuse to talk to him. Maybe he wouldn't be allowed to go into the Great Ha—

"Well," Walburga said with a sneer upon seeing a kid with a Hufflepuff tie get into the train holding a small toad, "off you go. Do owl us when before going to bed." The fact that his family expected— more like demanded— him to be in Slytherin was left unspoken. Walburga had most likely asked Bellatrix to inform her whether he had been sorted into the Silver House or not. He was willing to bet a bunch of galleons his fifteen year old cousin was too eager to tell his mother he was nothing but a disgrace to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.

"Yes, mother," he said obediently in a soft tone, waiting for her to lean in ever so slightly to press a butterfly-like kiss on her cheek. His father, serious as ever, only nodded and shook hands with him.

Perhaps, if he wasn't such a rebel, his father would've been at least a bit more affectionate.

Sirius was almost reluctant to say goodbye to his little brother, as Regulus was already tearing up. Public displays of affection between the brothers were mostly frowned upon by Walburga, because 'no child of this noble house should ever be improper when in public'.

"Take care, Regulus."

Regulus' grey eyes widened ever so slightly, and he had to take a deep breath to compose himself before flashing the trademark Black smile. Sirius could see how sad he truly was and pushed the guilt to the side, returning the simper easily.

"I'll be fine, Sirius. See you on Christmas. Write me when you can."

With great reluctance, the eleven year-old turned on his heel after his father shrunk his trunk, shoving it into the pocket of his black robes. He looked at his family once more, rather relieved to see his mother visibly approved how it all had transpired; meaning she would be most agreeable to dot on her favorite child— Regulus— and overlook any small mistakes if he were to make any.

As soon as he stepped into the train, his senses were assaulted by the boisterous laughter coming from the many ( _many)_ compartments of the train as well as the faint smell of pumpkin pie, and chocolate fondue.

He had expected many things, but annoying kids certainly had escaped him when he thought of freedom.

Oh, Merlin.

Scowling at the shrill noise and trying not to feel like his mother of all things, Sirius tried to take a step forward, only to be pushed to the side as a third-year with a red and gold tie ran to the other end of the train. Sirius lost his balance pretty quickly, eyes clothing tightly while bracing himself for the impact.

But then there was a tug on his wrist, and while his nose collided gently with something alright, it was something he hadn't quite expected— it was... warm and solid. He quickly opened his eyes and looked up to meet dazzling silver eyes and the situation was suddenly all to obvious.

"Careful, dear." The mellifluous voice made him snap out of his reverie, and soon his cheeks turned a pale pink in embarrassment upon realizing what had happened. Whoever the guy was, he had saved his arse from falling and making a scene on his first day, and Sirius had ended up pressed a bit too firmly to his chest. "We'd hate to have an accident so soon into the school year."

The Black heir cleared his throat and opened his mouth to utter an apology, though it quickly died on his tongue the second he saw a mass of curls bouncing up and down, approaching hastily. Instead, a soft groan flew past pink lips, causing the other to raise a brow.

"What's taking you so long, Malfoy? The p— _oh_ , but look who's here." A feral grin was thrown his way, and Sirius' expression became neutral if a bit too annoyed. "Look at this _tiny baby_ , needing help to stand up. Are you _sure_ you should be here? Do you have your mother's permission?"

"Cousin, please. Stop." But by the way her grin widened more if possible, Sirius knew that wasn't going to happen.

"Oh, so he talks," said the boy in amusement, finally letting go of Sirius' wrist and watching in amusement when the boy pulled away quickly and frowned at no one in particular . "I should've noticed before— the Black traits. Your cousin, Bella dear. What a surprise."

"Not that he deserves the title, mind you." Bella's narrowed gaze fell upon the younger of the three, almost ready to poke Sirius with the end of her wand. "See, he's a little too excited to surround himself with subpar people. Aren't you, Sirius? Been talking about wanting to be a _mudblood-loving_ Gryffindor from what I recall." The last bit was nothing but a venomous hiss, and in that moment Bellatrix Black looked beautiful and dangerous, reminding Sirius that in Hogwarts she was called «Silver Drakaina».

Kind of a stupid name, but oddly fitting nonetheless.

"I—" Sadly, he wasn't given the time to defend himself.

Sensing that things would get rather unpleasant soon, Malfoy placed a hand on her shoulder and offered a charming smile— one that rendered Sirius speechless at how easily he seemed to take over the situation even if it was Bellatrix on the receiving end and it wasn't directed at him. How she managed to act the same, he had no idea— if anything, she looked a bit placated but slight annoyed.

"Why, I'm sure it's all been a misunderstanding. He'd never betray his own kin, am I right? We all know only elite like us can go to Slytherin, and as such there are roles we have to fulfill." That piercing gaze went right through him, and Sirius only then noticed the green and silver tie, the Prefect badge pinned perfectly to the front of his Slytherin robes, the air of superiority clinging to him almost desperately.

He was Lucius Malfoy. Andromeda— even if she had claimed she didn't have a crush on him— had talked about him too many times for him not to recognize the Malfoy scion. Slytherin Prince, Quidditch Captain, top of his year along with Bellatrix.

The perfect son and student.

Sirius knew he should hate him right away, seeing that he was the embodiment of everything he resented and went against. But Merlin, the boy couldn't even get his eyes off of him.

"I think my little cousin here fancies you, Lucius," Bella mock-whispered in his ear, making Sirius' pale complexion turn an angry red and Lucius chuckle out loud. Some students turned around to look at them, all the girls blushing uncontrollably when their eyes caught the pleasant sight of him.

"Why, you flatter me, Sirius." A playful smile was offered, and Sirius has to take a deep breath to compose himself before making a witty remark. See, the first one to yell was the first one to lose. He understood too quickly he'd let Bella win if he got too vocal.

If anything, he saw it as useful training.

"Now, cousin dear... don't be so jealous," Sirius said, and Bellatrix merely raised a brow in slight surprise. She had expected a brash reaction, maybe some yelling like a Gryffindor. But she had underestimated her cousin, apparently. "Anyway— matters not. I suppose we'll have to see what the Sorting Hat says. I should find somewhere I can sit down, excuse me."

"I hope to see you in the Slytherin dormitories by nightfall, Sirius." Lucius nodded and flashed one last smile before turning on his heel and walking gracefully down the hall where the Prefects compartment was located. Bellatrix waved her fingers at him, a subtle smirk tugging at her cherry lips.

"I will send Cissy your way, Siri! Don't forget I'll be writing Aunt Walburga tonight." Flicking heavy curls off her shoulder, the oldest of the Black sisters left as well after deciding that's all that needed to be said, and for some reason Sirius felt like he had written his own death sentence. Fighting the anxiety pooling in the pit of his stomach, he walked in the opposite direction, looking for a place he could relax after whatever the hell had happened.

He particularly didn't mind Bellatrix's taunting attitude— they had been quite close before his eleventh birthday and conversations like that had been all too frequent sans the condescending tone and scorn, but his open dislike for anything Slytherin had made her began to mock him and just push his buttons to get a rise out of him.

It was the treatment he'd receive if we ended up being a Gryffindor, she had said. But Lucius Malfoy... Lucius Malfoy was an enigma. Sirius was daily confident in his ability to tell whether a person was hiding something from the rest of the world seeing he was part of the House of Black, but while Lucius seemed apparently open and transparent to the eye... there was something he couldn't figure out.

He was no stranger to manipulative tactics.

Something so hidden and twisted in the shadows left him wanting to know more.

He sighed, and opened the door to one of the compartments that seemed empty enough. There was a boy with black hair sitting next to a pretty girl with the most vibrant emerald eyes he had ever seen in his life, auburn locks dancing around her shoulders. They were talking quietly, and Sirius knew he wouldn't find a better place than that.

"May I sit with you?" He asked politely, quickly figuring out it was best to be on his best behavior to avoid unnecessary problems. Perhaps it had to do with the fact he had just interacted with who could be the deadliest of Slytherins, perhaps it was because he didn't feel like gaining enemies before getting to the damn castle. The boy turned to glare at him, but Sirius merely raised a brow in return. He had received much worse from Walburga. Surprised he hadn't run immediately, the boy turned to look at the girl, who just smiled and nodded.

"Sure, there's plenty of space."

"Thanks." Closing the door behind him, he sat across the small table, body relaxing against the burgundy cushions. After a few heartbeats he realized they were looking at him expectantly, and cleared his throat before introducing himself, "My name is Sirius Black. Nice to meet you."

"Sirius, like the star? Oh! My name is Lily Evans, and this is Severus Snape. Nice to meet you too."

Evans? Snape? Those weren't names he recognized, so it made him think that they weren't Purebloods. By the way the Snape boy tensed, he was expecting some nasty words in return. Sirius merely offered a small simper and shook Lily's stretched hand, turning to look at the boy.

"Like the star, yes. Snape, right— you look like you just had to swallow a slug... or worse, eat a nasty jelly bean from a Bertie Bott's pack." By the way her eyes lit up in excitement, it was obvious Lily already knew about what he was talking about.

"They're so much fun, though! But Tuney— my sister— got the ear wax flavored jelly bean and she spent the entire afternoon throwing up. So nasty!" Severus smiled faintly at that and Sirius chuckled softly, relating to that a little too much.

"She's not here?" He asked in curiosity, taking one of the very last of his chocolate frogs from his pocket. Andromeda and Narcissa has given him an entire box of them as a present for starting school that year, and he had tried to make them last as much as possible. "Dumbledore again? I already have dozens of this one." Sirius grumbled and left thr trading card on the table, Severus leaning in to observe the ridiculously-looking man.

"She's... uh... she's a muggle," said Lily very slowly, looking rather apprehensive after admitting that. Severus quickly placed a hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture, looking at Sirius as if daring him to say something hurtful to the witch.

He only rolled his eyes, unfazed by what was supposed to be an intimidating gesture.

"Oh, do stop it. I'm not like everyone makes us out to be. You must be a Muggleborn, then. That's none of my concern." He shrugged and offered Lily a piece of the sugary treat, who eagerly took it with a relieved expression on her face. When Sirius offered the other piece to Severus, the quiet boy raised his eyebrows, not moving to accept it. "It's not poisoned, corn pity's sake. You must be a half-blood, seeing you are ready to rip my head off. While your weariness is not entirely misplaced, at least give me the benefit of the doubt here."

The extremely pale cheeks of Severus flushed a light pink and he looked at his lap, looking... properly chastised. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Just don't say it around Narcissa, she might cry if you do," he teased lightly and just then someone knocked on the door before it opened to reveal a blonde girl with bright blue eyes. "Ah, speak of the Devil and she shall appear." His cousin clearly stopped herself from rolling her eyes, nodding in the other's direction without bothering to look at them before sitting down next to Sirius.

"Bella told me you were here," she said in a hushed tone, one that had been undoubtedly taught to her by 'darling' aunt Druella. "And I rather be with you than around the fifth years. Andy is with her friends and they're no better.." She then turned to formally acknowledge Lily and Severus, eyes slightly narrowed as if trying to guess from what Noble House the belonged.

"Are you a Weasley?"

Sirius choked on a piece of chocolate, looking at Narcissa with wide eyes.

"Cissy, you can't ask that!" He admonished in a hushed tone, offering Lily an apologetic smile. It certainly gave the impression if one were to look at the hair only, but her clothes were new and no Weasley had hues that bright. "What would Aunt Druella say?" Okay, perhaps not the best of questions— she would've I undoubtedly said much worse before forcing them to leave at once, because no Blacks should ever mingle with _mudbloods_. Narcissa gave him a pointed look, barely concealing her initial discomfort because Merlin, what would Bellatrix say? At least she made it discreet enough for Severus and Lily, who looked confused.

"I do apologize," Narcissa said eventually, and Lily smiled without really understanding what had happened. "Your hair reminded me of a certain family, but you don't look like them at all now that I pay more attention. I'm Narcissa, but I have the feeling Sirius has already talked about me. Please, don't believe anything he's said." At that, Sirius and Severus were unable to stop themselves from smirking.

"I only spoke wonders about you, cousin dear."

"The only person you talk wonders about is yourself, Sirius," Narcissa said while offering a sweet (and obviously fake) smile, and Lily erupted into a fit of giggles. Narcissa managed to engage in polite conversation with Severus, and Sirius decided to show Lily his quite extensive trading card collection, watching her gasp when Nicholas Flamel would wave at them or Ollivanders would twirl his wand around, making paper doves out of thin air. While he was grateful his cousin had decided to look past everything's he hadn't been taught for the time being, he dreaded to think what she would've acted like if she shared Bellatrix's views on blood purity in general. Her parents were bad enough as it was. From the way Severus had acted at first, it was obvious he was too aware of the stigma muggleborns carried in the Wizarding community. The pale boy had even revealed that his mother was a Pureblood that had been sorted into Slytherin, to Narcissa's delight. While he didn't reveal the last name of his mother, it was enough for his cousin to be more comfortable around him and viceversa— their conversation turned much more amicable, it seemed.

Sirius' gut twisted at the thought of purebloods condemning muggleborns, but how tolerant they were regarding most half-bloods, especially if that person were to have a pureblood ancestor. But it wasn't hardly the time to think such things, so he shook his head and let the girls talk about what they had read so far about the castle while he talked about the most disgusting Ever-Flavor jellybean with Severus.

That is, until someone slid the door open. It soon revealed a boy with sandy hair and big bags under his eyes. He looked nervous, and extremely tired.

"Sorry... I was... thrown..." he winced at that, "out of my compartment, and I was wondering if I could..." Vaguely gesturing with his hands, he leaned a bit against the door. Sirius scowled at the idea of the kid being treated like that, and quickly offered a sympathetic smile, figuring the rest wouldn't mind... too much.

"Of course, there's plenty of room here." At some point Narcissa had changed seats with a reluctant Snape, giving her cousin a look that begged him not to tell Aunt Druella about the fact that she was talking to a muggleborn. Sirius had smiled at her in reassurance and had forced Severus to snap out of his moody trance, who clearly wasn't liking the idea of not being next to Lily. Sirius scooted a bit to give the boy enough space to sit down, Severus muttering something about the end of the world because 'there was a kind Black in Wizard Britain, Merlin have mercy on us'.

"I'm R-Remus. Remus Lupin," the boy— Remus said with a faint smile, wrapping the robes tightly around him.

It was Lily who introduced the group and offered him some of the chocolate she had bought from the trolley lady, completely missing the look of jealousy of Severus' face to Sirius' amusement.

"Who threw you out of your compartment?" Asked Narcissa in genuine curiosity, fingers unwrapping the chocolate before handing it over him. He blushed and muttered a soft thanks, debating whether he should say it or not.

"Just a boy with glasses... Potter, I think? There was this chubby boy next to him." At that the Blacks made a face and offered sympathetic looks.

The Potters were the very opposite of what the Blacks represented— heroes of the Light, fiercely loyal to Dumbledore and public enemies to everything dark or unknown to them. Charlus Potter— the Head of House— was actually married to a Black, and Sirius remembered clearly the times his mother had lamented the sudden change that her cousin had presented after giving birth to their heir, James Potter.

And from what he was hearing, James— his cousin— was a complete jerk. Great.

"Next time he comes near you, tell me about it and I'll tell Bella there's a boy being rude to me. Should give him a nasty scare." Sirius looked at Narcissa in surprise, clearly not having expected her to say such a thing to Remus. Of course, as soon as Bellatrix found out it was a Potter who hadn't dared to upset her beloved sister, not even Dumbledore would be able to protect him. That's how far the rivalry between families went.

Remus, however, blushed a deep red and stuttered something none of them could quite comprehend, making them snicker softly.

"So!" Interrupted Lily, hands clasped on her lap and a brilliant smile on her lips; it was an attempt to redirect some of the attention away from the shy boy. "Do you all have a house you'd like to get sorted into?"

"Slytherin," said Severus and Narcissa almost immediately, and she gave Severus a wide smile that had the boy hiding his face behind long raven locks. "All Blacks go to Slytherin," added the blonde, looking at Sirius thoughtfully after saying that. She had heard multiple times from his own mouth he wanted to get sorted into Gryffindor because he didn't want anything to do with his family, but at that point she questioned how much of it wasn't true.

"I just think Slytherin is the best house for me. My mother was in it too, and I just want to make her proud." There was clearly more to that, Sirius noticed. But it was clear he wasn't willing to share anything else... yet.

"I like Ravenclaw," Remus admitted, and jumped in surprise when Lily raised her arm to high five him. The Blacks clearly didn't understand the muggle gesture, but it made Severus look at them in amusement. "They value individuality, creativity and acceptance. I'm not chivalrous enough to be a Gryffindor, and I don't think I'd fit in Hufflepuff either."

"I like Gryffindor—" Now it was Severus who winced, and Lily looked equal parts guilty and slightly annoyed. "But Ravenclaw is my first option. Sev here knows how much I value the power of knowledge." At the nickname, Snape's ears turned a deep red, and Sirius thought I'd steam would start coming out of them.

There was a silence, everyone processing the information. It was obvious they wouldn't be in the same house, but Slytherin and Ravenclaw always shared classes, from what Andromeda had told Narcissa.

"And you, Sirius?"

Sirius chewed the inside of his cheek and played with the sleeve of his robes, looking out the window as if to distract himself. The question reminded him of his parents, Bellatrix, Lucius, and even Regulus. But... and it was a big but. Lucius had managed to sway him more towards Slytherin than he'd care to admit— why, he had absolutely no idea. At that point he wasn't quite sure if it had been because of the speech he obviously believed in or something else. He almost wanted to be sorted into Slytherin just so he could see how everyone else would react, Walburga's wishes be damned. Sirius fidgeted a bit, trying desperately to push the thought of the Slytherin prefect out of his mind just so he could make a coherent answer.

"I thought Gryffindor was... rather interesting at some point..." Severus' jaw slacked ever so slightly, and Narcissa shook her had in a very 'don't even ask' way. "But I'm not so sure anymore. Slytherin doesn't sound as bad as I had originally thought, and... knowing the Potter family, that James will be in Gryffindor and I rather avoid gits."

"How are you going to avoid yourself, then?" Asked Narcissa in that sickly sweet voice, making Remus laugh out loud. It was clear Narcissa enjoyed embarrassing him as much as Sirius enjoyed talking about all the tricks he could do while flying, and that was saying something.

Just as Sirius was about to make a witty comeback, the Hogwarts Express stopped and a booming voice echoed in every compartment.

"Firs' years come out firs', the boats are waitin' for ye'!" They all exchanged excited yet incredibly nervous looks, and quickly made their way out of the train. A giant greeted them politely, mumbling something about hoping the Giant Squid wouldn't try anything funny this year that only Sirius seemed to catch and his pulse skyrocketed at the idea of being dragged into the waters of the lake.. "Only five per boat! Hurry up, Professor McGonagall is waiting for ye'!" Sirius and Severus helped the girls onto the boat, the boys waiting until they were comfortable enough to sit down themselves. The boats, bring magically enchanted, didn't even move under the fidgeting and the weight.

"Ye good? Arms n' legs in! Off we go!" The boats suddenly started to move, and more than one kid let out a high-pitched scream, followed by condescending snickers of the kids that had grown in a magical environment.

"Lily, look!"

"Remus, let me see!"

"You're stepping on my robe, Sirius!"

"I can see it already! Oh!"

Not far away from them stood Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

* * *

Lucius watched Sirius step out of the train and into the crisp weather of Ireland, the corner of his lips curved upwards in an almost imperceptible smirk. The Black heir had caught his intention, and judging by the small group surrounding him, it'd be a very interesting year indeed.

He couldn't wait to see what was in store for them.

"Lucius!" Bellatrix called out for him, fixing her wand holster around her left forearm absently. "Prefect duties are about to start, and we need to scort our snakes to the carriages."

"I'm coming, Bella. The castle is not going anywhere, we still have time."

Leaving the Prefects compartment, Lucius looked over his shoulder one more time, robes billowing elegantly as he joined his friends in what would be the most exciting (and most unexpected) year in Hogwarts so far.

* * *

A/N: Hello hello! I hope you all liked this. As you can see, I've made some changes regarding some of the characters' ages, but it's nothing too drastic, methinks.

Sirius: 11, born 1959.

Regulus: 10 born 1960 instead of 1961.

Narcissa: 11, born 1959 instead of 1955.

Andromeda: 13, born 1955 instead of 1953.

Lucius Malfoy: 15, born 1955.

Bellatrix: 15, born 1955 instead of 1951.

This is a rewrite of an old story of mine, and there's a lot coming your way by the way! Just taking it slow at first, the first chapter was initially 2,5k words and now it's a bit over 5k! Lots and lots to be done!

Please leave me a review if you guys want to read more, or if you just liked it!


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